Holder for cigarettes, etc.



Sept 30, 1941- l J. w. wYLLlE HOLDER FOR CIGARETTES, -ETC Filed June 14, 1939 ign-577 MMZZZEL,

Patented Sept. 30,' 1941 UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE HOLDER FOR CIGARETTES, ETC.

John W. Wyllie, Franklin, Mass.

Application June 14, 1939, Serial No. 279,160

(Cl. 31E-47) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to article holders and dispensers and more particularly to a holder or container for cigarettes which may be served, one at a time, in a manner hereinafter more specifically to be described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a. View of the cigarette holder attached to a support, as to the dashboard of an automobile;

Fig. 2 is a view of the holder partly in section, dotted lines representing one of the parts in the process of being removed from the other or companion part;

Fig. 3 is a detached View of one of the parts or elements constituting the container; and

Fig. 4 is a corresponding view of the other or companion part, portions thereof being broken away to illustrate the operation.

The holder I is shown attached to a support 2, such as the dashboard of an automobile, as by a suction cup 3, which cup is attachable to the part 4 of the container in any convenient manner.

The part 4 may be stamped of sheet metal with turned flanges 5, 6 and 1, the flange 6 being discontinuous providing a recess 3. At the lower end of the part 4 is an extension 9 which terminates in a turned or rolled flange Ill. The extension 9 terminates short of the width of the upper portion of the part 4 to permit exit of the cigarettes I I at one end and entrance of a spring plunger I2 at the other end to contact the lowermost of the cigarettes in the container so as to cause an end of the said cigarette to be moved to the position illustrated in Fig. l where it may be readily removed from the container.

The other or companion part I3 of the container is also conveniently stamped out of sheet metal and is provided with a top flange I4, side flanges I5, I6, and a lower, curved iiange I1, the latter acting as a seat for the cigarettes. The side flanges I and I6 are each turned over as at I8 and I9 in a right angular direction to retain the cigarettes in vertical lignment. The upper ends of the turned over portions I8 and I9 of the anges I5 and I6 terminate short of the upper ends of the said flanges to provide an opening Within which fresh cigarettes may be inserted in the portion I3 of the container. For this purpose, the said portion I3 of the container may be removed from the portion 4 by engaging the knob and moving the part I3 of the container, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Upon separation of the part I3 of the containthe closed position indicated in Fig. 1.

er from the part 4, cigarettes may be inserted in the opening in the container, the said cigarettes dropping down to the position illustrated. in Fig. 4. Thereafter the cover part I3 of the container may be reassembled with the base part 4, by

causing the curved ange portion II to seat in the correspondingly curved, flanged portion I0 of the part 4, the seating then serving as a hinge to permit the swinging of the cover part I3 to During this closing movement, the flange I4 snaps under the flange l, the two flanges constituting a catch for retaining the cover and base parts, I3 and I4 respectively, of the container, in closed position. When the cover and base portions of the container are connected as illustrated in Fig. l, the lower portions of the flanges I5 and I6 partially close the portion of the opening at either end of the container formed by reason of termination of the flanges 5 and E, short of the flange I0, leaving only sufficient opening at either end to permit exit of the cigarettes I I and reception of the end of the plunger I2.

To remove a cigarette, the `spring plunger I2 may be pressed inwardly from the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 1, to the full line position illustrated therein, which causes the opposite end of the lowermost cigarette to protrude as illustrated in Fig. 1. The plunger I2, as illustrated in Fig. 4, is conveniently made of spring metal and ha-s a curved shank, soldered or otherwise, connected to the ilange I5, the lower portion 2| of the plunger being turned substantially at right angles to the shank portion thereof and the tip end 22 of the turned end of the plunger being again turned downwardly at an angle, less than a right angle, with respect to the portion 2l The connected end of the plunger I2 seats Within the recess 8. As illustrated in Fig. 4, movement of the plunger from the position illustrated in the full lines to the position illustrated in the dotted lines, causes the tip end 22 of the plunger to engage a cigarette and force the same to the right, the end of the cigarette then protruding beyond the opposite tainer.` The upward movement of the lowermost cigarette, and the consequent agitation of the cigarettes thereabove, is occasioned by the less than right angular disposition of the tip end 22 of the plunger with respect to the turned portion 2| thereof, so that When the plunger is in the dotted line position, or in its innermost position, the tip end of the plunger tends to lift the adjacent end of the lowermost cigarette. Upon release of the plunger I2, the same moves outwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 4, the lower portion of the flange I5, especially designated by the numeral 23, serving as ya stop b engaging the tip end 22 of the plunger.

In the preceding description, certain of the' parts have been specically described for illustrative purposes only, there being no intention of limiting the invention other than as required by the limitations in the claims themselves. It is obvious that the construction of the containing members can be varied and made oi different materials; furthermore, the form of 'plunger may be varied. 'I claim:

1. A tWo-part metal container having a recess,r therein, one end of each part having interengaging curved portions for interengagement, the opposite portions thereof constructed for interlocking engagement, the construction being such that articles, such as cigarettes, may be inserted in the container to be maintained in vertical alignment, in combination with ejecting means projecting beyond the container and opposite the recess therein for engaging the lowermost ofthe cigarettes or other articles and causing the same to be partially removed from the container so that the same may thereafter be readily removed from the container, the ejecting means being so constructed as to agitate the articles in the container.

2. A container having a recess therein, the construction bein-g such that articles, such as cigarettes, may be inserted in the container to be maintained in vertical alignment, in combination with ejecting means projecting beyond the container and opposite the. recess therein for engaging the loWermost of the cigarettes or other articles and causing the same to be partially removed from the container so that the same may thereafter be readily removed from the container,

the ejecting means being so constructed as to agitate the articles in the container, by engaging underneath the next article to be ejected and while one of said articles is being moved to the position to be readily removed from the container;

3. A container having a recess therein, the construction being such that articles, such as cigarettes, may be inserted in the container to be maintained yin vertical alignment, in combination With ejecting means projecting beyond the container and opposite the recess therein, said means comprising a one-piece spring element affixed to the container and for engaging the lowermost of the cigarettes or other articles and causing the same to be partially removed from the container so that the same may thereafter be readily removed from the container, the eject- Ing means being so constructed as to agitata the articles in the container. v

JOHN W. WYLLIE. 

